Portlanders -- an inquiry:

I'm heading to your fair city for a few days. I'll be with my two-year-old daughter pretty much everywhere I go. I know Portland has more than its share of world-class coffee joints; in fact I've been to most of them, and I'll inevitably drag my kid through a few. I also know it's got plenty of run-of-the-mill coffee shops with kiddie areas, sometimes full-on playgrounds or corners piled high with communal toys, but the thing is, there seems to be an adversely proportional relationship between kid-friendliness and coffee quality... Or maybe I haven't found the right shop yet!

Can anyone recommend a truly spectacular, H-B-caliber, Portland-worthy espresso haven with a kiddie play area? I'm sure it exists. There are probably several!

thanks

Well, I have certainly seen reasonably well-behaved kids as young as two at a number of shops in the area. I've seen them at Coffeehouse Northwest (Sterling coffee roasters), as well as at the 23rd Ave and Pearl Baristas; I'm sure that the Alberta Barista is kid-friendly as well, given the amount of time Billy's kids have spent there. None of these places have play areas, but all have clientele and staff that seem fine with kids being there. So as long as you bring your own entertainment for her, I think she should be fine. I'd probably avoid Coava, not because of the attitude but because of the large woodworking tools, at least in the Grand Ave location. I think Ristretto's shop in the NW industrial area on Nicolai St would probably be fine too, since it's large and spacious; they roast a bit darker than I happen to prefer, but that's a matter of taste. If you're concerned about a specific shop, call first outside of rush times, and I'm sure people would be happy to guide you. I haven't been to Good Coffee, Sam Purvis's new place, but I wouldn't be surprised at all to hear that it was kid-friendly, given that his own is about eight months old. Have a great visit!

Best,
David

I'm pretty confident that no coffee shop anywhere, much less Portland, meets your description ("truly spectacular, H-B-caliber, Portland-worthy espresso haven with a kiddie play area").

If you mind your children, they will be welcome anywhere. If not, there is that ever-popular sign: "Unattended children will be given a free espresso and a puppy."

Marshall wrote:I'm pretty confident that no coffee shop anywhere, much less Portland, meets your description ("truly spectacular, H-B-caliber, Portland-worthy espresso haven with a kiddie play area").

Then you haven't been to Tougo Coffee in Seattle.

Nice move by Tougo! But others will have to weigh in on whether it is "truly spectacular, H-B caliber."

Thanks for all replies so far! Especially the thoughtful rundown, DML.

The Seattle Coffee Works location in Ballard is also pretty outstanding IMO, and they have a nice corner full of toys etc.. Last time I was in Portland I went to a place with a full-on playground and a kiddie music performer actually playing a set. The coffee was fully terrible, though. I wouldn't go back if Raffi, Snoopy, and Big Bird were having a hoedown and teaching kids to brush their teeth.

Of course I'll take the youngen anywhere I truly want to go, and if she really gets feisty, we just leave. It's not that she's a monster; not nearly as difficult as I see other kids being from time to time. But she's 2, after all, and travel will throw her off her routine. She will probably freak out at some point, we just hope it doesn't happen while we're out. As anyone that's had a 2-year-old can attest, there are good days and there are bad, and things can go south in a hurry, sometimes unpredictably. One benefit of espresso is that once its in my hands, it won't take long, but if a certain someone decides to skip her nap one day, just getting halfway up the line can be a dose of birth control for the rest of the room. Even on her best behavior, though, the difference is: play area = I sip, savor, and relax; no play area = I keep her entertained and not really savor the coffee to the extent that I would on my own. When I'm a resident (this trip is to lay groundwork for the job that paves our way to town), it won't matter whether every espresso is a revelatory moment of zen. But as a passer-through from a land bereft of the good stuff, I do hope to do a little savoring.

A Portland friend of mine is seeking to open a shop in her neighborhood -- Lents; far out SE. She says the neighborhood association has been vocal about wanting a coffee shop, specifically with a play area. If she serves Ristretto, as she's mentioned wanting to do, and if I come on board as a trainer or maybe even a partner (we've bandied some notions around), then maybe we or she can make it the place I'm searching for right now. I'm not sure, Marshall, if you meant you thought that Portland would be less likely than other cities to have top-notch coffee with a play area, but I would have to think to the contrary, Portland would be more likely than others, as it seems so kid-happy overall. It's like a big Pac-NW Williamsburg, with baby carriages on every sidewalk -- although that may just be my perspective as a stroller-pusher myself. Anyway it surprises me that Seattle would be ahead on the kiddie angle.

Howard,

When do you expect to be here?

Already came and went, I'm afraid. It was a quick few days of extreme stress on my partner, and for the most part my daughter and I were marooned in the north where we were staying. There was a lot we wanted to do, but wound up doing very little. There were no specific pilgrimages this time around, but in casual rounds about town I availed myself of:
Saint Simon (serves coava)
Barista (I had a Roseline offering)
Extracto
Water Ave
Five Mississippi (a new cart, serves Rose City coffee I think. Best shots of my visit!)
Albina Press (neighborhoody Stumptowner, but done very well)

For my top-o-the-morning ration I scooped a bit of Nossa from a bulk bin, but I was having issues with my travel kit so that didn't work out very well for me. Got me out the door, though.

Anyway, to be more on-topic -- the cart was probably the kid friendliest, given that it's outdoors. None of these have play areas. I'm prepared to chalk it up to an actual tiny remaining niche gap in Portland's otherwise overwhelmingly saturated market. Which is actually good news! I was starting to think there was no room left for newcomers to the biz, but there may yet be hope for a dreamer like me.

I can understand the situation. Top-tier cafes typically strive for sophistication, tidiness, and a hip, immersive coffee experience, whereas kids are chaotic, messy, loud, primary-colored, and their parents often grab-n-go and sometimes prefer lids on everything, even when staying. But that's not to say that a decidedly corralled, artfully designed play-area can't exist next to a grown-up-enough seating area to please both worlds. Even kid-hating 20-something hipsters sometimes grow up, settle down, have kids after all, and pine for the great coffee service they still deserve as much as anybody else. I have a mission!

Marshall wrote:Nice move by Tougo! But others will have to weigh in on whether it is "truly spectacular, H-B caliber."

Seconded. Tougo does a wonderful job. A sleeper shop in the coffee world.